Krishnadeva Raya: The King Of Three Kings

The story of a king who was cursed for not being pure royal blood, but he proved that the abilities make a king, not the blood. Krishnadeva Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire was the greatest of all the kings of the Vijayanagar Empire.

Krishnadeva Raya in a sitting position composing something; Image Source: Wikipedia

The history of South India is vast, and the more vast it is, the less is known about it. The histories we have read so far are always concentrated on the northern kings, and the southern Indian kingdoms are never discussed in detail. One such is the Vijayanagar empire, or the forgotten empire. This empire was the strongest when we discuss the history of South India.

The contributions it has made to the culture, heritage, and architecture of India are uncountable. It started the Vijayanagra style of architecture because of the unique designs. It was a combination of hosalayas, chalukyas, and pandyas.

The empire was founded by Harihar and Bukka Raya in the year 1336. The interesting fact is that, though the empire was established, people of different dynasties ruled it over the years. The Vijayanagar empire is also called the Karnataka empire. One of the most notable and successful kings of the empire was Krishnadeva Raya.

The man who didn't carry the pure royal blood in his veins created history. Tulava Narasa Nayaka, the army commandera, and Nagamamba, his concubine, gave birth to him in 1471 CE. He was an illegitimate son and it was obvious that he would not be accepted as a king. He went on to become the most powerful and greatest king of the Vijayanagar empire.

When he ascended the throne in 1509, he faced a lot of rebellions and obstacles in his way. The rebellions, if continued, would have disintegrated the Vijayanagar empire. He brought all the chieftains of the Tungabhadra region together and won their support by gaining their trust. He formed a very strong relationship with his prime minister, Timmarusu, who was a fatherly figure to him. It was needed because he needed a trustworthy man to have his backup and who would have more power and influence than the prime minister.

After establishing a stable environment, he, like every other king, wanted to expand his territories. He was a very skilled warrior, which helped him win numerous wars. One such story of his conquest is with Yusuf Adil Shah of the Gulburg region. He had imprisoned the Bahamian Sultan, Mahmud Shah. A bloody battle ensued, and Krishnadeva Raya undoubtedly won the war and freed Mahmud Shah, who was later restored to his position as Sultan. He was honoured with titles like Yavana Rajya Pratishtha Pancharaya.

Another interesting story of his conquest and one of the historic moments was when he embarked on a journey to conquer the region of Odisha. The war was fought between two important and powerful kingdoms. At the end, the gajapati maharaj of Odisha, Prataprudra, was defeated and, not wanting to lose the king position, he negotiated for peace. So he offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to Krishnadeva Raya. He had already married Srirangapatna’s princesses, Tirumala Devi and Chinna Devi, and accepted Jagan Mohini, or Anna Purna Devi, as his third wife. With that, the kingdom of Vijaynagar expanded in all directions, and with no time, he was able to conquer the present day state of Karnataka, north of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. It also extended upwards towards Odisha as well.

With the brilliance of Timmarusu, he was able to capture the Bahamani Sultanate, the bidar, and the Gulburg region. The reign of Krishnadeva Raya was the time when the rule of the Delhi Sultanate weakened. While capturing the Bahamani sultanate, he was helped by the Portuguese, who provided him with modern weapons like guns and in turn asked for his support to capture Goa.

One of the special characteristics of him was that he ruled three extremely powerful kingdoms in the south, which made him earn the titles like Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana (lord of the Kannada empire), Andhra Bhoja, and King of Three Kings. He was greatly respected by the ministers, ambassadors, and the public as he was no longer seen as the mere son of a concubine and had become the greatest king of all.

The treasure he accumulated from his conquests was not only used to strengthen his military power, but it was also used to build temples. Famous temples were built in his reign. Along with being a king, he was a great architect as well. He built proper irrigation facilities, reservoirs, and drainage systems as well, which are the most important things that need to be built for the proper functioning of a city. The ruins of this extraordinary empire can still be found around Hampi.

He was a great lover of literature, and the empire flourished in all directions during his reign. Telugu literature was at its pinnacle during his patronage, and the period is often referred to as the "golden age of Telugu literature." He himself composed an epic in Telugu called Amuktamalyada. His love can also be witnessed by the presence of the ashtadigajas, the eight scholars with extreme knowledge of literature. One of them was the infamous Tenali Rama.

Sadly, this great king faced a downfall too. He didn't die with great valour on the battle field but succumbed to illness in 1529.

The eight scholars in the court of Krishnadeva Raya; Image Source: Wikipedia